Apr 28 2008
Smoltz struggles (uh-oh) as Braves lose series finale to Mets
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Mets 6, Braves 3
Top of the Order: John Smoltz only could grind out four innings and the Mets took advantage of the bearded one’s less-than-stellar stuff, as the injury-depleted Braves dropped the rubber game of a big series with their NL-East rivals at Shea Stadium.
The Good: With Chipper Jones out of the lineup, Jeff Francoeur moved into the No. 3 spot in the batting order and responded with two hits. Mark Teixeira went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. He also was robbed of an extra-base hit on a great play by Ryan Church in right-center in the seventh (tip your cap on that one; heck of a play at the base of the wall by the Mets’ right fielder). Mark Kotsay went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, as he bounced back from a tight back that sidelined him late last week. We have a Chris Resop sighting, and this one actually won’t make you cringe: one inning, no walks, no hits, no runs, two strikeouts. Brent Lillibridge, who has looked overwhelmed at the plate in his first two games in the bigs, hustled out a fielder’s choice to drive in his first run. But honestly, the best thing about Sunday’s game: it’s over.
The Bad: No Chipper, no Yunel Escobar, and as hard as he tried, Smoltz had nothing from the get-go. Hurts to say that because Smoltz is the ultimate battler, but on this day there wasn’t jack in the tank and now he may have to shut it down for a few days. Ugh. Will Ohman ended the Braves’ run of bullpen excellence with two ugly innings: four hits, two runs, which turned a one-run game into a three-run game RIGHT AFTER the Braves had pulled within one in the top of the sixth. Nice, Will. No better way to sap a team’s momentum after it cuts a four-run gap to one than by letting the other guys dent the dish a couple of times in the bottom of the inning to re-extend the cushion. The Braves finished with nine hits, but left eight runners on base. Oh, and add this to the pile of trepidation: closer Rafael Soriano reported elbow discomfort after his first side session since going on the DL, a session that saw him throw nothing but fastballs. A series that started out so right ended so wrong.
View from the Sports Garage: OK, so who expected Tim Hudson and Smoltz to combine for 14 hits and eight earned runs in seven innings? Yeah, me neither. Anytime you leave New York City, you have to feel good because, well, you’re no longer in New York City. But the Braves certainly weren’t happy boarding the charter to D.C. Sunday evening. This series was there for the taking with the victory Friday night, with co-aces Hudson and Smoltz on the mound for the weekend games. Uh, didn’t go according to plan. We’ll have more on Hudson in Tuesday’s off-day piece (hey, no game today, so gonna write on the spaghetti-thin right-hander’s recent roller-coaster ride, of which I’m sure Braves Nation at this point is screaming, “Let me off of here!”). As much as I admire Smoltz, I’m officially classifying myself now as “worried” about the right-hander. I wrote Sunday morning that Smoltz appeared to gain strength in each of his prior outings after starting the season on the DL (granted, he only missed one start). But he admitted after Sunday’s game his recovery from Tuesday’s start wasn’t great, which leads one to wonder just how bad he’s feeling.
There is no way Smoltz needs to pitch Saturday against the Reds. The Braves are not where they wanted to be when the fifth week of the season dawned, but they still are just three games out of first place after a hellacious first month of the season. A quasi-healthy Smoltz – face it, he’s not going to be able to give this team seven innings on a consistent basis – is critical to the Braves’ postseason aspirations, aspirations that appear a little more shaky after what we saw yesterday. To look at the glass as one-fifth full instead of four-fifths empty, the Braves didn’t have Chipper or Escobar in either of the weekend losses, did play a raw rookie at shortstop and did get an overall solid effort from the bullpen this weekend. But a loss is a loss, and this one hurts today – and could hurt for weeks to come if Smoltz is out for any extended period of time.
On deck
Braves vs. Nationals
7:10 p.m. Tuesday, Nationals Park
The Skinny: Last time Tom Glavine climbed the bump at Nationals Park, he lasted all of four hitters, a hamstring injury ending his first start at the new yard in the first inning and sending him to the DL for the first time in his storied career. But one shred of good news for the Braves in the Lost Weekend at Shea is Glavine’s solid bullpen session that will result in him coming off the shelf Tuesday and starting Tuesday night. Acquired in the offseason to stabilize the rotation behind Hudson and Smoltz, Glavine now is charged with settling the entire apple cart, after Hudson and Smoltz both went down in flames to the Mets – setting off panic buttons throughout Braves Nation. Opposing Glavine is Tim Redding, who has three of the Nats’ nine victories. Would it be stating the obvious that Glavine needs to pitch at least six innings to quell the panic Braves’ fans are feeling today? May be a tall order for a pitcher coming off the DL with a hammy injury. At least today is an off day, and word is Chipper will return to the lineup and Escobar could be back in there, too.
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